The Nanny and the Pawnbroker
by callafallon
Summary: Interconnected ficlets set in an AU where Regina didn't lock Belle away. Instead, she made Belle her personal assistant and, later, Henry's nanny.
1. Finders Keepers

_Interconnected ficlets set in an AU where Regina doesn't lock Belle away, but puts her into service as her personal assistant and, later, Henry's Nanny. This one takes place before the Pilot, so nobody remembers who they really are. _

Mr. Gold didn't leave his house on Sunday. It was the day when the townfolk would go to church, or out for brunch at Granny's, and then mingle in the town square while enjoying the close knit community. People all smiled and asked each other about their lives while sharing little jokes. It was like something out of a Rockwell painting.

Mr. Gold hated Rockwell paintings - all happy people and silly nostalgic emotions. He preferred the work of Goya or Fuseli. Things that were fantastical and dark, that showed the truth that lurked in the dark hearts of men. Those things that people hid away and didn't show, especially on a Sunday in Storybrooke.

So he was still in bed, although he had been awake for hours, when the knock came from downstairs. He ignored it at first, instead focusing on the crossword in the Mirror. _Five letters: Beautiful, to one in Paris. _Was it the name of some tourist attraction? Or maybe a French word. Yes, that could be it. But…

"Hello, is anyone there?" a female voice yelled between knocks.

With a curse he pulled on his robe and grabbed his cane. Throwing open the door he saw little Henry Mills and his nanny. What was her name? Vera? Margie?

"I'm so sorry to interrupt your morning, Mr. Gold," she said, "But Henry and I were playing in the woods and he threw his ball into your backyard."

"And?"

"And, we wanted to get it back."

Gold smirked. If he had to get out of bed he might as well have a little spot of fun. "Well, that's going to be a bit of a problem because, you see, once the ball passed onto my property it became mine."

The girl looked stricken for a moment, but then smiled kindly. "Now, Mr. Gold, I'm sure that isn't accurate. It is our ball, after all."

"Yes, but you see, under the common law rules of property I have constructive possession of all things that are within the bounds of my property. Now, which one of you threw the ball?" The little boy raised his hand sheepishly. "Ah, Henry. Well, legally, when you released that ball without taking proper care to make sure it remained where it needed to be, you abandoned your property rights to it. And abandoned property becomes the domain of whoever finds it or, if it lands on property belonging to someone else, the owner of said property. So, you see, the ball is mine."

The nanny knelt down to face Henry at eye level. Her denim skirt came up slightly above her knees showing her shapely legs, but mostly he was focused on her face. She had such a loving look when she focused her attention on the boy, as if she was some renaissance Madonna giving unconditional love to the world. "Don't worry about it Henry. It was just a ball. We have more at home."

"Will Mother be angry at me for losing it?"

The nanny shook her head. "Your mother doesn't even need to know. And if she asks, I'll be sure to tell her that it wasn't your fault." She turned and glared up at Gold. "We'll tell her just who is to blame."

"Is that a threat?" Gold asked. She ignored him, and ruffled the boys brown hair.

"Now, why don't you go run and collect the toys we left behind. I'll be there in a moment. I just want to talk to Mr. Gold." The child scampered away, giving Gold a look that said _You're in trouble_.

"Listen here, you twisted little man," the nanny snapped, "I've always believed that everyone had some good in them, but apparently you are the exception to the rule."

"I don't see why you're so upset. As you said, it's just a ball."

"No, it's not just a ball. Henry is a child and I'm trying to teach him about kindness and sharing and being a good person. And it doesn't help those lessons when someone like you comes along and acts as if you can be an ass without consequences."

"I'm the ass! You're the one who interrupted my Sunday over some stupid ball. And you are lucky that it landed in my backyard instead of breaking a window, because I would be happy to sue you for destruction of property. Maybe if you did a better job of watching the child this wouldn't have happened, Miss…"

There was a long pause and the girl rolled her big blue eyes. "French. Anna French. How do you not know that? I've lived in this town my entire life. You are my father's landlord. Terrorize the man for fun. I know that probably doesn't help much, since you do that with everyone."

"Not everyone, just those who deserve it. And maybe I don't remember who you are because you just aren't that important."

"No, I'm sure I'm not. At least not in any way you'd care about. But I do have the love of a child, and that is all I really need. I wouldn't expect you to know the value of something like that, Mr. Gold. You seem like a man who knows how much everything is worth, but no idea about how it should be valued." She looked to the side and smiled at what she saw. It was Henry, holding the previously lost ball.

"Did he climb the fence to get that?" Gold screamed, "That's trespassing. And theft."

Anna shrugged. "I don't have your legal education, but I am pretty sure it's only trespassing if you can prove it. As for theft… I remember a certain saying about finders being keepers and losers being… well, I can't see you weeping. You'd need to have a heart for something as emotional as that." She smiled at him, a triumphant smile of a cat that just ate the canary. "You enjoy your day, Mr. Gold."

He slammed the door, the wall shaking with force. Going back to the crossword he stared at the clue again. _Belle_ he wrote in the white squares, thinking of the woman who had just bested him. What an odd thing to come to his mind, almost as odd as the deja vu he felt watching her walk away.


	2. Date Night

Every Saturday night Anna went on a date with her favorite man. She'd dress up, nothing too fancy but one of the pretty sundresses that were totally unpractical for her work cooking, cleaning, and watching Henry. Lately, her date had been dressing up also, trading in blue jeans and t-shirts. He would even brush his hair for the occasion, something that usually caused quite a battle.

"You ready Anna?" Henry asked, knocking on her door and looking quite dapper in his khaki pants and blue polo shirt.

"I am." Anna spun around, showing off her blue dress with the flared skirt which rose and she twirled. "Don't we make the dashing pair?"

He nodded, "You look just like you do in the storybook." Anna pouted, and put her finger to her lips. Henry's recent theory that everyone in town was actually misplaced fairy tale characters was a point of contention with Regina. Even though Henry's mother was upstairs in her bedroom, getting ready for her own weekly appointment with Sheriff Graham, she always seemed to hear everything. Anna didn't want the evening marred by another argument about the boy's fantasy life.

Regina didn't think it was healthy for Henry to confuse reality and fantasy, but Anna wasn't worried. She remembered being Henry's age and dreaming that she was fighting off dragons and outsmarting evil wizards. Her own mother had gotten sick when she was 8, and the fantasy world was a respite from the sadness she faced. Little Annabelle French couldn't fight off her mother's cancer or the grief that followed her death, but a world where all the demons were tangible and beatable was comforting. If Regina had been more willing to play along with Henry's little fantasy world he probably would have given her a better part in the story. Since she insisted on trying to destroy his imagination it made sense that he would cast her as the Evil Queen. Regina had even started sending the boy the therapy. Luckily, Dr. Hopper seemed to be a nice guy and was more interested in giving Henry an outlet to talk than trying to change him.

Anna had packed a picnic basket with sandwiches, pasta salad, and blueberries. They sat in the small park in the Town Square listening to the Storybrooke Glee Club doing their own interesting rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" in a mash-up with "Wishing you Were Somehow Here Again" from Phantom of the Opera.

"Well, that was truly terrible."

Anna and Henry looked up to see Mr. Gold talking to himself as he walked past. He was right, of course, and Anna found herself chuckling at the deadpan way he'd said it. But that wasn't polite, and she did have to try and show Henry the proper way to behave.

"I think they were brave to try something new and different."

Gold's cane thumped in the same place on the sidewalk twice, as the man holding tried to decide what to do. It was months after the incident with the ball, and he would be taking some revenge on Miss French for that afternoon soon enough. Still, he might as well have a spot of fun this evening.

"Yes, it was quite brave to subject the town to the off-key warbling of their voices. Especially since everyone would rather hide behind politeness than tell the truth. Bunch of bloody egotists who want to force their lack of talent in our ears and then expect everyone to clap and say how lovely they are."

Anna's blue eyes narrowed. "Well, thank you very much for your informed musical opinion Simon Cowell. Now why don't you go run off and continue whatever you had planned for the evening. Those widows and orphans won't evict themselves. "

"Well, I'm sure that my Saturday night couldn't possibly compare with yours. A date with a 5 year old. I do think you may have met your intellectual equal."

"I'm nine," Henry said, angrily as he jumped to his feet. "And you shouldn't be mean to Anna. You're just jealous because she has me and you're all alone."

Gold howled with laughter. "Well, I had been joking about the boyfriend thing, but… well, I'll leave you two alone then. Wouldn't want to stand in the way of true love." He kept chuckling as he limped away. Henry's hands were balled into fists until Anna reached up her hand towards him.

"Henry. Don't get so upset. He was just being mean. He knows that we're not boyfriend and girlfriend." The little boys face went from rage to sadness in a split second, and Anna felt like an idiot. The nicer clothes. Brushing his hair. Oh, she was an idiot for not noticing it before. Henry had developed a crush on her.

"Sit down, Henry." She reached out and took his small hand in her larger ones. "You know that I love you."

"I love you too, Anna. Just like in the fairy tales. When two people are in love it means they'll get married one day."

Anna shook her head. "That type of love, the marriage kind of love, is only one kind of love. There's the way you love your family. The way your mother loves you and you love her. There's best friend love, the way that we care about each other. But that isn't romance love."

"Why not?"

"Well, for starters I'm much older than you."

"Only for now," Henry explained, "The curse keeps you the same age but I will keep getting older. Eventually we'll be the same age!"

Anna didn't want to have to hurt him, but she didn't know what to do. Then it hit her. Maybe she could use his little fairy tale fantasy to her advantage. "Let's think about this logically, Henry. I thought that I was supposed to be Anna from Beauty and the Beast."

"Yes. Because you're pretty, and sweet, and kind. And because you're good at cooking and cleaning. And you like to read books. And you're name is AnnaBELLE!"

"Well, if I'm Beauty that means my true love is the Beast. And you certainly aren't The Beast, are you?"

Henry pondered that for a moment before relenting. "No, I guess not. I'm the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming. I'm not really in the book, but my real Mom is and she comes and breaks the curse. And I guess if that happens soon then you'll start aging again, and you'll turn into an old lady."

Anna didn't know if she should be grateful or annoyed that his infatuation with her had been so easily remedied. But he was now well and truly over her, and onto talking about the curse and who everyone was in the fairy tale world.

"Have you figured out the Beast yet?" she asked.

"No. Because the Beast is also Rumplestiltskin. So we need to think of someone who is small and mean but also makes deals. Maybe Leroy?"

Anna scrunched her nose. Leroy? She hoped not. The guy might be fun to go drinking with, but not true love material. "Anna, who do you think Mr. Gold is?"

"The backside of Prince Charming's horse?" she muttered under her breath. Henry didn't think that was it. Animals didn't really come over unless they were part human, like Dr. Hopper. He decided that he'd just have to go figure it out for himself.


	3. Survey Says

Mr. Gold could hear the jangle of the bell from the backroom, where he was gleefully going through the new contracts, but when he came out there didn't appear to be anyone around. Bastards. Didn't they know he was an important man, who didn't have the time for these interruptions?

"Hello."

Gold jumped, his cane clattering to the ground, as the little boy appeared in front of him. Henry bent over to retrieve the gold handled cane with an obnoxious grin.

"Mr. Mills, what are you doing here? And is your girl with you?"

"Anna? No, she thinks that I'm at my appointment with Dr. Hopper. But he's running behind."

Nine years old and seeing a shrink? Yes, that sounds about right considering his parental figures were the ice queen Regina Mills and that annoyingly earnest Anna French. One was too harsh, the other completely weak. Children needed consistency. Best if that consistency came from an overseas boarding school, at least that's what Mr. Gold would have done if he was ever cursed with a child. Thankfully, that had yet to have happened. "That doesn't explain why you decided to grace me with your presence."

"Oh, yeah, that!" He swung his backpack off his shoulders, nearly knocking over a collection of glass figurines in the process, and pulled out a battered piece of notebook paper. "I'm here doing a survey."

"A survey?"

"Yeah, for school."

Gold glared at him, incredulous. "And why exactly would an elementary school class be doing surveys?"

Henry chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. "For…math…yeah, it's for math."

It wasn't that he particularly cared that the boy lied to him, but that he didn't even make the effort to lie more convincingly. It just wasn't respectful! "You aren't going to leave me alone until I go along with this, are you?" The boy shrugged. "Well, then, I guess you should get along with it."

"Question one. Which one of these are you most afraid of? A crocodile. Robin Hood. A house made of bricks."

"And this is for your math class?" Gold took a deep breath, best to just get through this as quickly as possible to get the child away. Although, dragging this out brought the possibility of having Miss French appear searching for her wayward ward, and he did so want to see her today. "I'm not actually afraid of any of those things. Nobody would be."

Henry frowned. "Are you sure you aren't even a little afraid of brick houses? Maybe ones that have pigs in them."

"Why would I be afraid of pigs?"

Henry sighed, and crossed "Big Bad Wolf" off his list.

"Question two. What type of animal would you most like to be? A lion. A whale. A dragon."

"A dragon isn't even an animal. It's imaginary. What is wrong with your school?"

The bell clanged sharply as the door was yanked open. In came a ball of brown haired fury marching towards him. "You unmitigated heartless ba…"

Henry jumped between the nanny and the pawnbroker, waving. "Hi, Anna!"

Her expression shifted immediately from rage to a sickly sweet smile. "Henry, aren't you supposed to be at Dr. Hopper's?"

"He was running late."

Anna knealed on the dirty wood floor, bringing herself to the boy's level. "Well, wouldn't it be a better idea to wait in the waiting room? That is what it is for. Besides, how will Dr. Hopper find you if you are over here?" She gave the boy a kiss on his hairline before he ran off. She looked after him, smiling until the door closed and he was no longer in sight.

"Bastard!"

She rose to her feet gracelessly, needing to grasp the glass counter for balance. Mr. Gold grinned, his gold tooth flashing briefly. "I take it your father showed you our new lease agreement?"

"You can't just raise his rent by 20% for no reason. There's no way he'll be able to pay that."

Gold adjusted his cufflinks, or at least pretended that's what he was doing as he stared at Anna French's heaving bosom. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a scoop necked blue shirt, a modest enough outfit, but her fury caused her face to flush and her breasts to tremble with each heavy breath. Even a priest would have been unable to see her in this state without recognizing that her anger was amazingly similar to the way most women looked while in rapture.

And Mr. Gold was far from a priest.

He wasn't sure when he realized he was attracted to her. At some point after her annoying intrustion in his yard he realized that the undefined female he would sometimes fantasize about in the shower had taken on a petite shape and big blue eyes. It wasn't love. It was hardly even lust. It was just that this obnoxious little creature was the first female he could remember being interesting.

Women were interested in him. Of course they were. He was the wealthiest man in town, and not bad looking, which made him an attractive option for a woman who was interesting in status and money. Over the years he had a few flings. Carolyn DeVine, the owner of the high end boutique that specialized in furs, had been one of them. But she was as dull as the others. They nodded and agreed with everything he said, never challenging him at all.

Not that he necessarily wanted to be challenged. He just wanted a woman who wasn't afraid of him. Someone who would speak their mind and resist his charms, which would make it all the more precious when he was able to seduce them into submission.

Even in is deals he'd always enjoyed the negotiation more than the signing. It was the chase that kept things interesting.

"You aren't even listening to me," she shouted.

"I'm a bastard. Life is unfair. How dare I. Blah. Blah. Blah. Was there anything else?"

"If you want to hurt me, then hurt me, not someone I love."

He pondered it for a moment. "No, I think this is better. You get hurt, and I make a tidy profit."

Anna covered her eyes with her hand. When she brought it back to her side she was no longer a icture of righteous anger, but desperation. Eyes wide and clear, pink lip trembling, she looked so helpless that anyone with a heart would have given her whatever she wanted. "Can't we make a deal?"

"You don't have anything I want, dearie."

"I have money. I've been saving for years. I can pay you $5000 in cash."

That only made him chuckle. "I have plenty of money."

"Then what do you want?"

His hands gripped the counter between them, and he leaned forward invading her personal space. "My price is you. I want you to apologize to me, in front of the entire town. I want you to give me the ball which the boy _stole_ from me. And you will owe me a favor, to be determined later."

She slapped him, although it was clear the girl had never done it before. She didn't hold her wrist firm, so it hardly stung. "I take it that mean you'll think about it?"

Anna told him to go to hell before she left. He didn't expect her to take him up on his generous offer, but he hadn't expected her to be such a violent little kitten. That was going to be a little fact that would pop up in his dreams. He didn't want to dream about her, but since it was bound to happen, he hoped they would at least be fulfilling.


	4. In the Still of the Night

_By popular demand another chapter. Emma is coming and then everything will get wonky. I will take the pleas for some smut under advisement, but we'll see what happens. At this moment it's like trying to get Panda's to mate. They aren't going along with it. Well, Gold wants it, but if I were to write his fantasy it would be about a paragraph. But once he gets the memories back…we'll see. _

Anna couldn't sleep. She'd made a good show of it, putting on her favorite pair of silk pajamas, having some warm milk before bed, and letting Moonlight Sonata play on her ipod, but it didn't help. All the tricks in the world couldn't help still her racing thoughts.

Mr. Gold was an ass. But he was an ass who held all the power in this town. The increased rent would bankrupt her father, and he couldn't just move his shop somewhere else. It would cost money they didn't have to remodel a new location in order to have the temperature controlled space that was needed to keep the flowers at their best. Not that it would matter. Any place they could move to would be owned by Gold anyway.

Logically, she should just take his offer. She could give him back the stupid ball. She'd say she was sorry in front of everyone, and they would all understand she didn't mean it. Everyone had done things they regretted because Mr. Gold maneuvered them into it. It was the rest of it that worried her. Giving up her savings would be upsetting, that was the money she was going to use to pay for a vacation once Henry was old enough that she wasn't needed anymore.

Travel books sat on the shelves all tabbed out with the various points of interest. She wanted to take a car and drive through New England, stopping at the historic cemeteries and visiting the homes of Dickinson and Twain. Or maybe going to the coast and seeing the Atlantic Ocean. New York City was tempting, with so many museums and plays to see. But Washington D.C. would also be amazing, especially if she went when during the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms.

Making the deal with Mr. Gold would mean giving up her dream of traveling the world and seeing what was out there. Yes, her father would be safe. But what about the things that she wanted?

And what exactly would it mean to owe Mr. Gold a favor?

There was a soft knock on her bedroom door before it inched open. Henry, in his He-Man PJs, stuck his head in the gap. "You awake?"

"Sure am, you have a bad dream?"

He nodded and then crawled into bed with her, as he did since he was old enough to walk. Henry usually was a sound sleeper, but when he did have nightmares there was no calming him except with physical closeness. As he got older he became less fond of having to admit he was weak. Men were all the same, even in the body of a boy. It must have been a very bd dream indeed if he was here.

Henry laid on his stomach next to Anna, and she began rubbing his back like she would when he was a colicy baby. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Why do you think my Mom got rid of me?"

Anna's hand stilled. It was rare for Henry to talk about the fact he was adopted, although it had been coming up more often since he'd decided that he "real" mother was the daughter of Snow White. She didn't know what to say to him. How could you convince someone they deserved love?

"Your mother loves you. Both of your Mothers love you. Hasn't Regina always been there for you? Hasn't she always…"

Henry sighed. They'd had this conversation many times before. "I know. Even if she's an evil Queen she's always been nice to me. Mostly. But I don't understand how Emma gave me away."

Emma was the name of the baby in the book that Anna had read to Henry since he was a child, the one he decided was his mother. "Maybe she didn't have a choice. Maybe it was like the book. Snow White and Prince Charming give Emma a chance at a better life. They loved her enough to let her go. Sometimes that's what you need to do when you love someone. You have to be brave enough to allow them to go and find a better life."

Henry was so quiet that for a moment Anna wondered if he had fallen asleep. "Anna. What if it is like the book? Emma was let go so that she could save everyone. What if Emma let me go so that I could save her one day?"

"Oh, Henry, you don't have to save anyone. Children aren't supposed to save their parents, it's supposed to work the other way around. Parents take care of their children, and little boys just have to worry about school and homework and not about saving anyone."

The quilt that was covering them fell to the floor when he rolled to his side. "But when your father was in trouble you saved him. You sold yourself to Rumplestiltskin in exchange for the safety of your father and your people."

He was talking about the book, the one where he thought that she was Beauty from Beauty and the Beast, but it was oddly similar to her current dilemma with Mr. Gold. Sometimes she wondered if he was onto something with his theory, but that was mostly exhaustion talking.

"What were you doing over at Mr. Gold's shop this afternoon? Was it related to Operation Cobra?"

Henry pulled the blanked back onto the bed. "I was trying to figure out who he is. I was thinking he was the big bad wolf, but now I don't think so. I think he might be a dragon. Dragon's collect gold, and that's his name. And he certainly is mean enough."

"Have you considered that he might be Rumplestiltskin?" Anna couldn't believe she was even suggesting it as a possibility. She didn't deny Henry's flight of fancy, but she didn't usually play along with them this much either. Tomorrow she'd go back to following Dr. Hopper's advice of remaining neutral towards Henry's fantasy. Right now it was the middle of the night and they both were dealing with their own demons. It was much more interesting to play "what if" than think about either of their problems.

"He can't be Rumplestiltskin," Henry explained.

"Why not? He likes making deals. He is pretty scary. And maybe his name comes from the fact that he can spin straw into GOLD."

The little boy pondered it for a moment, but just one moment before shaking his head. "But if he was Rumplestiltskin then that means he's your true love. And that can't be possible, because you two hate each other."

Yes. We hate each other. Don't we? Anna turned her light off and closed her eyes. "It's late, kiddo. Let's get to sleep."

In the hallway, quietly watching, Regina fumed at the cozy little family scene. Her son preferred the nanny to her, it was something that she'd suspected for a long time but never really worried about. She'd never really given little Anna French much thought as anything other than a pawn. After enacting the curse she decided it was best to keep the girl close to her. The curse was not her own design and she was how it would impact its creator. If Rumple remembered the truth he'd be unable to stay away from his former maid.

At first Anna was her personal assistant, living in the guest room while managing every detail of her life. When she decided to adopt a child it only made sense to place the girl in charge of the less enjoyable parts of Motherhood. The fact that she was good at it was a bonus, but the entire purpose was always to just keep the girl close enough so that she would know if Rumple got his memory back.

But those plans meant nothing now. Her son, the one who she had named after her father and who she had fed and clothed for his whole life, preferred the _help_ to her. Even worse, the girl was playing along with his fairy tale fantasy. Regina felt fueled by equal parts jealousy and fear. Jealous over the boys obvious preference for Belle and fear that with her proding he might actuall manage to break the curse.

If she was the type of person to look at the big picture, Regina would have ignored the slight. Or even just lock the girl away somewhere until she needed a pawn against Rumple. But her anger took over everything else and so she made the decision which would change everything. The next morning she took Anna aside and asked the girl to do a favor for her. There was a symposium on technology in smll town government that Regina wouldn't be ble to make it to, but could Anna go in her place. It was a great opportunity for her to mke some contacts and to help Storybrooke.

The fact that it was in Boston was just an added bonus.

As Anna excitedly packed her bag Henry begged her not to leave. "Nobody can ever leave Storybrooke."

"Henry, that's just silly. You're not from Storybrooke after all."

He rolled his eyes. "That's because I'm not part of the curse. But you are. And the second you try and leave town something terrible is going to happen. Please, Anna. Don't do this. Stay here. I'll give you all the money in my piggy bank, and I'll do all the dishes forever, and whatever you ask. Please. Just don't leave."

Anna was touched by his concern. Even though she didn't believe anything would happen she knew he did. And the fact that he would try so hard to save her was the sweetest thing that anyone could ever have done. "I'll be fine. I promise. You'll see."

Henry watched her drive away and then got onto his computer. He'd stolen Mary Margaret Blanchard's credit card and used it to find where his birth mother was. It wasn't really stealing. She was his grandmother, and she owed him years of birthday gifts. He held onto the name and address until that night when Regina came into his room and informed him, with a twinkle in her eye, that there had been an accident and Anna was in the hospital.

The Evil Queen had gone too far this time. The curse was one thing, but now she was trying to kill people. Trying to kill Anna. It was time to finish this thing.

That was the night Henry went looking for the savior.


	5. Awake

Emma Swan.

The moment Mr. Gold heard that name it came back to him in a flood. He remembered everything. The curse. His son. The hidden supply of True Love magic. The loophole. The savior. It was starting. The seeds planted over hundreds of years were now taking root and he had to tend to his garden. It wouldn't be long now until everything came together.

But then he was hit by the one thing he hadn't planned for. The thing he hadn't expected.

Belle.

He took the rent money from Granny mechanically, not even paying attention. His feet were moving three steps ahead of his mind, and they were taking him to the hospital. He'd heard about Annabelle French's car accident, and he'd been worried.

Oh, fine, he'd been amused. He had heard that a lovely young woman was in a coma and he had chuckled at her pain, considering it to be some sort of payback for her multitude of sins against him. As if God gave a damn about appeasing Storybrooke's Mr. Gold.

That would be one more link in the chain of his sins against the woman he loved. In two worlds he had been lucky enough to cross paths with her, and in each of them he'd been a monster towards her.

It was a miracle. Belle was alive. He thought over his interactions with Anna French with a smile. Belle wasn't just alive, she was feisty and feminine and maddeningly outspoken. She was Belle. The woman couldn't be stopped by death or a curse, she was still perfect. His perfect little miracle.

Except miracles didn't happen, especially not to monsters. But plans happened. And this particular plot was covered in the smudged fingerprints of Her Royal Highness. It was such a perfect plan that he couldn't help but be slightly impressed. He'd make sure to mention it to her when he chained her to a wall and covered her with fireants. Regina had lied about Belle's death. She must have kept her in one of her little prisons until the curse was enacted, and then she had made the girl her caretaker. Lovely bit of symmetry to that part, he had to admit.

There'd be time enough to take revenge on the bitch responsible for his pain. At the moment he only cared about Belle.

/

Moe French was lucky to have someone like Regina Mills there to help him through this time. He was just a simple man who understood flowers and how to make them grow. He didn't have a clue how to deal with DNR orders and medical jargon, but Regina was right there to talk him through it. She was more than just Anna's employer, she was a real friend.

"Anna was always such a lively girl," Regina said, patting his arm, "I don't think she'd want to live on machines. Do you?"

Moe shook his head. "No, but the doctors say that there is still hope, so maybe we don't even need to worry about the worst case."

"But that's why you have to sign it now, while things are still hopeful. Because it will be too difficult to do when…if it comes to that."

Henry closed the curtain around Anna's bed, trying to block out their parent's conversation. She didn't need to hear anything negative. Not now.

She looked like she was sleeping. Sleeping Beauty, he thought, and had even tried to wake her up with a kiss when nobody was around. But as much as he loved Anna, he wasn't her true love. He needed to find Rumplestiltskin in order to make that happen.

"Guess what, Anna? My Mom is going to stay. You'd love Emma. She's awesome. She's smart and funny and she isn't afraid of The Evil Queen. She's going to break the curse. I just know it."

The curtain pulled back and Regina stuck her head inside. "Mr. French and I are going to go get some coffee and something to eat. Can I trust you to stay here? "

Henry nodded. Regina just glared at him. "I'll stay right in this room, I promise, Mom."

When the click of her heels faded away he turned back to Anna. "Don't think I've forgiven her yet. She tried to kill you. But we have to try and outsmart her. You understand, right?"

The curtain pulled open again, and Henry worried that maybe his Mom overheard him, but when he looked up she wasn't there. "Mr. Gold," he said, "What are you doing here?"

Gold ignored the boy and just stared at the woman in the bed. She was pale and her breathing was shallow. He would have sworn that she was dead, but a blip blip blip in the background told him her heart still beat.

That was the only thing that mattered.

He collapsed to his knees at her bedside, the pain not even noticed over his heartache. With shaking palms he touched her cheek, her hair, and then ran a finger over her lips that were cracked and dry. Those lips were always so soft in his dreams, and feeling them now only made him know this was real. Reality was always so much worse than dreams.

"Um, Mr. Gold. Are you okay?"

"That's not my name," he growled, trying not to take out the sins of the mother on the son. "You know my real name, don't you boy? The one from your book."

Henry's eyes grew wide. "You know about my book?"

"I should. I'm the one who made sure it made it to this world so that one day someone could use it to break the curse. The one who put the loophole in the contract that allowed the curse to even be broken."

Henry frowned. "But… Rumplestiltskin is the one who did that."

Gold looked up at him, practically hissing. "And who do you think I am, little boy, Merlin the Magnificent?"

"Well, yeah. Or maybe just a dragon. Not really one with a name. Just random dragon." Gold's long hair covered his face as he took Anna's hand between both of his. It wasn't possible. Mr. Gold couldn't be Anna's true love. He didn't deserve her. Even Rumplestiltskin didn't deserve her. "If you are who you say, then why didn't you ever go after Belle? In the book you throw her out and then you just go on with your evil plans like she doesn't even matter."

He was trembling with repressed anger. "You can blame your mother for that particular tragedy. She told me that Belle was dead."

"And you believed her?"

"Of course not. I used my magic to search for her presence. She was gone. Now, I realize, that she was being blocked by magic instead of taken by death. Kept as a pawn against me, I'm sure."

Henry considered the news. The Evil Queen hated Snow White, but she feared Rumplestiltskin. He was the only person who was nearly as powerful as herself. Stealing his true love would be a strategic move. And keeping Anna close was part of the game. "You have to get out of here," Henry realized, trying to help Gold to his feet.

"I'm not leaving her side. Never again."

"That's exactly what the Queen wants! Don't you see? She kept Anna as close as possible. She lives in a house with us. Because she knew if you ever got your memory back the first place you'd go it to her side."

Gold sighed, allowing his mind to take over from his heart. It was true, this was playing perfectly into her trap. He could accomplish more to break the curse in the background, playing the role of puppetmaster, than he could by making a frontal assault.

Between his cane and Henry's help Gold was able to make it to his feet. He turned to walk away but couldn't. Not yet. He leaned over Belle and gave her a kiss, just a brief press of his lips to try and let her know that he was now ready for the things he turned away before. He almost ran into Regina and Moe French outside of Belle's room.

"Mr. Gold, I wasn't expecting to see you here," Regina said, staring at him intently.

"Well, I had some errands to run and I came by to talk to Mr. French. I heard about you little, tragedy, and just wanted to let you know that it doesn't change a thing. I still expect you to pay your debts on time."

Regina seemed satisfied by his answer, even though Moe French looked like he was going to punch him. One day, Gold thought, we'll have a drink and laugh about all of this. Or, more likely, Belle will have to sit nervously between us as we glare at each other around the Christmas Tree. Without turning back to look, Gold walked away.

Moe was going to complain about the nerve of his landlord when Henry ran into the room. "She's awake! Anna is awake."


	6. He Needs All the Help He Can Get

_Playing around with canon timing here a little, let's say this part takes place between The Thing You Love Most and before That Still Small Voice. Some people have been expressing hope that Anna remembers soon. I hope you're not too disappointed since I plan on making Gold suffer for a bit. He remembers everything, but can't really express it for fear of Regina knowing that he remembers, and that is where I think the fun of this comes in. I hope you guys agree._

Rumplestiltskin had been good.

Well, good for him at least.

He had stayed away from Belle…Anna, he reminded himself because he didn't need to make that mistake in front of her or the Queen, for almost the entire week. It hadn't been easy. He'd had to read about her miraculous recovery in the Mirror, and watch as she walked Henry to school and back each day. With Emma Swan in town Regina had tightened her grip on Henry, which meant that Anna was never without the boy. That in turn made it difficult for him to stalk her, or to talk to Henry to see what was going on behind the scenes.

He couldn't resist going to see the fallout for himself. After spying Henry in the park, being watched by Emma and Anna, he went to visit the Mayor. She had tried to claim that Emma was no threat but he'd only scoffed.

"They make such a sweet family scene. Henry and his mother and the woman who raised him. It's practically a damned greeting card commercial."

Regina stared at him, trying to determine what exactly he knew. She suspected his memories were back, the fact that he was in the hospital when Anna regained consciousness was suspicious, but he'd walked a fine line. No conformations of denials. Just the use of the word "please" to walk past her.

Maybe he was wrong to go around taunting the tiger like that, but it was the least he could do considering her many sins against him. He justified it to himself by saying keeping her off balance was a strategy. But mostly he just had to do something to keep himself from kidnapping Belle and locking them both away in his Cabin until the curse broke. He didn't need to sleep with her, not even to kiss or touch her. He just wanted to be able to look at her whenever he wanted and be assured that she was real. That she was alive.

Still, that didn't justify Regina's response back in their little war.

It was Saturday evening when Anna walked into the pawnshop, much less excitable than she had been the last time they'd met here. She looked remarkably lovely for someone who had been near death just days earlier. There was some bruising visible at her shoulder, which was barely covered by the thin straps of her white sundress. The ugly purple mark looked like it had been caused by the seat belt, and he could imagine the harsh it continuing across her belly and breasts. The dress had a high cut neckline but he found himself straining on tip toes to try and look down it. Just to see if his theory on the bruise was correct. That was all.

At least that's what he'd say if Anna asked him what he was doing.

"Regina wanted me to deliver this to you," she handed him an envelope. An invitation to one of the many town charity events that he always avoided. He tore it neatly in half and threw it away. IT could have just as easily been mailed. Clearly, her majesty's real message for him had been the messenger and not the invitation

"I heard about your accident. You seem to be doing better." Yes, that was good. That sounded neutral and normal.

Anna's blue eyes narrowed. "Yes. I heard you came to visit me. Was it really necessary to terrorize my father with reminders of his financial situation when I was in the ICU?"

"Ah…yes…well…"

"I suppose I should thank you though. Your little stunt did make it much easier to make my decision concerning your offer."

He shook his head. "No, that won't be necessary. I've been considering everything and maybe I was hasty in that new contract."

She held up her hand to silence him. "No. I've really heard all I want to from you. Mr. Gold, you are the absolute worst person I have ever met. You are the worst person I could ever even imagine. You are cold, and callous, and cruel. Quite honestly, I would rather be dead than have to be tied up in some deal with you."

His normal smirk faded and Gold looked every bit as dangerous as his reputation claimed. "Careful, dearie, don't throw around words that you don't really mean."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No. I'm just observing that words have powerful meanings, Miss French. Death is a rather serious fate to use unthinkingly."

Anna looked away, feeling guilty. It was just an expression, but he'd been so serious. Maybe someone close to him had died? Maybe that's why he was such an awful person, because of a broken heart. She remembered a fable she used to read to Henry about a fearsome lion that was only so deadly because of a thorn in his paw. Was Mr. Gold just waiting for someone to ease his pain?

"You look lovely this evening," he said, drawing her from her thoughts. "Another hot date with Henry?"

Maybe the lion wasn't secretly a lamb. Maybe he was still just a jerk. "It's none of your business, but I happen to be going out with Dr. Hopper this evening."

Anna didn't notice his flinch, or the way his hands balled into fists. "Really? Well, I am glad to hear that. I wasn't going to mention it, but I've thought that you could use some psychological help some time now."

"I'm seeing Dr. Hopper socially, but again, it really isn't any of your business."

No. It isn't, but he can't help but watch her through the window as she walks to Granny's. And he can't just sit in the shop while she's across the street having a romantic evening with a cricket. So he closes up early and wanders across the way, peering through the large glass windows and looking as Anna is laughing at something the insect has said. He can hear her laugh. Not really, not through the glass, but he remembers it; her loud laugh that held nothing back, even as she tried to cover her mouth with her hand and turn it into a more appropriate ladylike giggle.

"You look a bit lost, Mr. Gold, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I doubt that, Madam Mayor." Gold slipped on his mask of indifference, suspecting that Regina had orchestrated this little outing in order to see if he would crack, allowing the secret of his newly returned memories to slip.

"Are you sure? You look like there might be something you need to get off your chest."

"As a matter of fact, there is. I'd appreciate if you'd use the postal service instead of your little lackey. The girl babbles incessantly. I'm not sure how you even put up with her."

Regina tilted her head, trying to weight the truth of his words. "Well, I might not have to worry about that much longer myself. Dr. Hopper appears to be quite taken with Anna. I wouldn't be surprised if there were wedding bells in the future."

Gold swallowed his rage shrugged. "Well, then it is good news that Miss Swan appears to be staying in town. If Henry is going to be losing the woman who practically raised him, at least his real mother will be around to fill that gap. Now, if you could please excuse me, I need to head home."

Well, at least he needed to head home after a stop by the liquor store. If he was going to be forced to stand by and watch the love of his life dating, and a goody-eight-shoes-insect on top of it, he wasn't about to do it sober.

/

There was a giant at the door. Or possibly a troll or ogre, but definitely something big and strong had to be involved in order to create the pounding that was threatening to tear the front door off his home. Gold didn't even bother putting on his robe, he was still wearing the suit he'd fallen asleep in minus jacket and tie, and quite honestly if a beasty was knocking on his door early Sunday morning then they'd have to take him as he was.

"Hey Rumplestiltskin!"

Gold stuck his head out the door looking to see where the monster must be, but the only thing around was little Henry Mills, waving stupidly and opening calling him by his real name.

"What are you doing here at…" he looked at his watch, knowing it must be around sunrise, but the watch put it closer to noon.

"Can I come in? I'm supposed to be hiding."

Gold stepped back, allowing the child to come in, and they both went to the kitchen. Gold made himself a cup of coffee and held up the pot in the direction of the child.

"Um, I don't drink coffee. I didn't think you did either. In the book you drink tea."

Gold shrugged, pouring a generous amount of whisky into his mug. "Well, I find it easier to Irish up coffee than tea. Besides, tea reminds me of her. Where is she anyway?"

"I told you, we're playing hide and seek. I thought this would be a good place to hide. It would give us time to talk, and he would never look for me here."

Henry launched into a complete debriefing of how things were proceeding under operation Cobra. Prince Charming had been identified and was awake from his coma, although the appearance of his wife was complicating any reunion between the shepherd boy and Snow White.

"I'll go talk to Mrs. Nolan," he grumbled, pouring himself another cup of Irish coffee, hold the coffee. "I find it hard to believe that someone as lovely and vivacious as Midas' daughter would have spent the last 28 years pining away for a missing mate. Maybe I can make a persuasive case that it would be best if she just moved on from this particular relationship."

"What about Mr. Nolan's memory?"

"That will be a bit trickier. The key may be to make sure that Charming is confronted with memories of the past, his real past, instead of things from the false world. I do have his sword, that might be a powerful trigger of who he really is."

"Whoa, you have Prince Charming's sword, his real sword, and you're just now telling me? Can I come and play with it?"

"God, no. Because it wouldn't be at all suspicious for you to come by and end up chopping off a limb." Gold shook his head, but only once because it was making the throbbing behind his eye even worse. "Speaking of suspicious, don't you think Miss French will be worrying about her inability to find you?"

Henry nodded, and headed out the back door. Before he left Gold asked, in what he hoped was a casual tone, if Anna had enjoyed her date with Dr. Hopper.

"I don't know. I was asleep by the time she came home. And I didn't go to bed until midnight. See you later!"

Henry slammed the door, although it didn't hurt Rumplestiltskin's head nearly as much as it did when he banged it repeatedly against the kitchen table.


	7. Scoundrels

_Still taking place before That Still Small Voice. _  
As boyfriends went, Archie Hopper was pretty perfect. Annabelle French could not think of a single flaw with him.

And she had tried.

Because if she could just find that flaw, some small issue to hold on to, it would mean she could dump him and have something to say when everyone asked her what was wrong with her. The truth was that she just wasn't excited by him. When they would go out she would laugh at his jokes and smile at his stories, but she didn't feel drawn to him. She'd always thought that when you fell in love you uncovered someone else, but when you stripped away the outer layers of Archie there was just more Archie underneath. He was exactly what he claimed to be. And quite honestly she was bored.

He was earnest. Annoyingly so. He was a vegetarian, although not militant and he never minded if she was to order a steak, but he made the switch after reading about the carbon expenditure used in feeding cattle. "If the world were all vegetarians we would have no hunger, it's a more efficient allocation of resources. But then again, it is the free choice of everyone. And food inequality is more of an issue of logistics than simple eating. Did you read The Omnivores Dilemma?"

He read non-fiction books, one on current events and issues, and was able to debate both sides of every issue with equal force. Belle thought he could have been a politician, the way he could talk about topics without ever actually having an opinion on any of them. But, was that such a terrible thing? He was well read and articulate. He was open minded and kind.

And he was totally dull. There were times when Anna would find herself kissing him just so that he'd shut up and do something interesting. But even in this area he was too much of a gentleman, always asking permission before initiating anything, and never losing any control. Sometimes she just wished that underneath it all he had something more going on. That he would just scoop her up, push her against the wall, and kiss her until her knees went weak. That he would take what he wanted from her, knowing that the thing she wanted most was to totally lose control.

Henry was in the living room, The Empire Strikes Back playing on the television while he was cutting pictures out of a magazine.

"Henry?" Anna asked, looking at the mess, "What on earth are you doing?"

"It's a project…for school."

"What class has you ruining your Mother's new issue of Cosmo?"

"Ummmmmm. Math. Yeah, it's for math."

Anna shook her head. If he wanted to lie to her it was okay, he'd tell her the truth if it was important enough. "Star Wars? What happened to the Disney marathons?"

Henry shrugged. "Oh, you know that I'm not really into those anymore." He looked around and then, seeing the coast clear, gave her a conspiratorial wink. Ah, so he was making concessions to Regina. Well, that was fine. She'd caught herself singing "Kiss the Girl" the other day in the grocery store and could use with some time off from cartoons.

She looked up at Han Solo and Princess Leia glaring at each other. He was about to kiss her and said "You like me because I'm a scoundrel. There aren't enough scoundrels in your life." Oh, yes. That's what she needed. A scoundrel. And Archie Hopper was not a scoundrel.

But he was her boyfriend. Because Anna was a single woman in a small town who hadn't had a proper romantic relationship in years, so she couldn't just dump Archie. Not until she could think of a good reason.

Besides, maybe scoundrels were better left to the fictional relationships. The only scoundrel in town was Mr. Gold, and just imagine how terrible that relationship would be.

/

The note had been slid underneath the front door of the pawnshop just waiting for Gold when he came in. It was made of letters cut out from a magazine, an attempt to disguise the identity of the sender. It was a cute idea, one that was not very successful since it was also signed with his name.

_Mr. Gold_

_Come to the ice cream shop at 3 for a super secret meeting. _

_Henry_

Yes, the boy was certainly from the Charming family tree.

He headed over to the shop a half-hour early and ordered a coffee. When the boy behind the counter, Jack Frost in the old world, pointed out that they didn't serve hot drinks he had only glared at him until he called Granny's and had Ruby deliver some.

Henry came running in just after 3 and ordered a chocolate cone with sprinkles on top. He tried to slide into the booth across from Gold but the man shook his head. "How exactly is this a super-secret meeting when anyone walking by could see us together? Sit in the booth behind me."

Henry obeyed and started eating his cone. Gold picked up his newspaper and spread it wide, pretending to read the stories.

"Boy, we need to have a talk about your note. If you are going to go through the trouble of making a letter that can't be traced back to you, don't sign it."

"Well, I am just a kid. I don't really see you doing much for Operation Cobra." Henry had turned around in the booth, looking at Gold as he spoke.

"Sit back down, lad, you're drawing attention to us."

"This is dumb. Don't you think the fact that we're both sitting alone talking to ourselves is also pretty suspicious."

"You're talking to yourself. I'm reading the newspaper." Besides, half the town thought that Henry was nuts anyway, so the fact he was talking to himself wouldn't matter.

Gold informed the boy, in broad terms, that he was handling the situation with Charming's curse wife. Kathryn Nolan was a bright woman, and had seen the benefit to the offer he made towards her. David Nolan was presumed dead for more than seven years, which would allow his wife to have him declared legally dead and severing their marriage. Of course, that would have meant filling out legal papers years ago. Luckily, Mr. Gold had those papers and the ability to backdate them so it appeared as if they had been filed in a timely manner.

It was the perfect way for Mrs. Nolan to walk away from her marriage without appearing to be a heartless monster. The truth was that she had already moved on. She was too sensible a woman to spend her life mourning for a lost husband. There was something between her and the school's soccer coach that one of his spies had mentioned. But when her husband was found she felt that she HAD to come back to him because of her vows. Mr. Gold gave her a way out of those vows, and convinced her that nobody would blame her for moving on when she thought he was dead.

With that problem out of the way, Gold gathered the courage to ask the question he had been obsessing over and dreading. "So, how are things going between Miss French and Dr. Hopper."

"Good. They have their third date tomorrow night, and you know what that means."

Gold turned the page of his newspaper harshly, ripping it. "Yes. I know what that means."

"Oh Good!" Henry was on his knees, turned around in the booth and looking over Gold's shoulder again. "Can you tell me? Because I just know Mom told her to take the whole night off and the next morning too."

Gold folded the paper and turned back to the boy. "In this world the third date is, traditionally, when a couple will…kiss for the first time."

Henry's face fell. "That can't be right. Anna and Dr. Hopper kiss all the time."

Just then the cursed couple appeared, as if conjured by talking about them. Anna and Archie were holding hands, and even that slight physical contact made Gold feel sick. He might as well be mating with her the way he was just groping her…hand…so boldly with his own. Had they no shame?

"Henry, are you bothering Mr. Gold?" Anna asked, as Archie ordered himself a soy vanilla cup, and got a strawberry cone for her.

"No," Gold said, a bit too anxiously. "He was just…helping me with this… crossword puzzle." Gold pointed to the newspaper. "Yes, a three letter word for a flightless bird. Any idea Henry?"

"Egg?"

Anna smiled, "That's clever, but I'm pretty sure it's emu."

Archie handed her the cone and she thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. "Archie, why don't you take Henry to the park. I just need to talk to Mr. Gold for a moment." She took a lik of the cone as they left, her red tongue caressing the pink ice cream as she closed her eyes.

Gold moved the paper to cover his uncontrollably hardening crotch.

When they were gone Anna sat across from him. "I just came from my father's. He said that you decided not to raise his rent after all. Thank you."

Gold struggled not to smile. It would be all the harder to stay away from Anna if she was going to actually start liking him. If he was going to protect her, he had to keep her at arms length. "It was a purely business decision, dearie. Just realized it would cost me more to evict him when he failed than to keep him around."

"Sure. Business decision."

"It was. It didn't have anything to do with you."

Anna's eyebrows raised slightly. "I didn't say it did. Are thou protesting a bit too much?"

Before he could deny it Emma Swan came in, all righteous indignation and red leather. "Gold. That girl you wanted me to track down, it's because you want to buy her baby?"

Anna let out a disgusted little noise. He tried to explain, "I wasn't trying to buy her baby. I already bought it. I mean, not bought. It is an adoption contract. Perfectly legal."

"Yeah, well she doesn't want to be in it anymore."

"It isn't that simple." The agreement was signed in the old world with the old rules. Magic didn't like being cheated, and although it wasn't present in this world that didn't make it powerless. Who could know what would happen to the little Princess if she broke the contract, or to him if he tried to break it for nothing? Agreements could be re-negotiated for new terms, but not canceled entirely. "If Ashley Boyd wishes to cancel the agreement she would need to repay the money expended to her so far."

Emma scoffed. "I thought you weren't buying a baby."

Well, the good news was, that at least this was going to solve his problem of Anna getting too close. From the look in her eyes he was pretty sure that she was never going to talk to him again.


	8. Setting the Mood

_I actually really like Archie. Truly. But Gold doesn't for obvious reasons. And, honestly, I think that Archie and Anna are too nice to be a couple. They both need to be with people who challenge them (I love Red Cricket and would love to try and work that into this at some point). Just want to make that clear since poor Archie sort of has been getting beat up by Mr. Gold in this and the last chapter. _

Gold had left Emma still angry and Anna still thinking he was a monster. The blonde woman stalked off looking to find and comfort Ashley Boyd while his brunette beauty went to sit in the park with her _boyfriend._ That was just as well. Gold had things to plan for this evening.

"Hello, Mr. Gold," Regina said. Did the woman just hide behind corners waiting to ambush people?

"Good afternoon Madam Mayor."

"I was wondering if you had anything planned this evening? We need to talk about Storybrooke acquiring that land by the river, and I'm going to be stuck at home since my Nanny is spending the night with her boyfriend."

Gold looked over at Anna, watching Archie and Henry playing hopscotch and laughing at how silly the grown man looked in the process. Did he have plans? Only to prevent that damned cricket from laying his eggs in Gold's woman. He would spend the night sitting outside of Archie's home watching through the window, and if things went too far he'd just burn the place to the ground. Arson was much preferable to the idea of his Belle with someone else.

Of course, that is just what Regina would be expecting him to do if he had regained his memories. He tapped his cane against the sidewalk, wishing he could be hitting it against the Queen's smug face. "I have nothing on the agenda for this evening. Nothing I can think of."

So, Plan A- fiery inferno- was officially out. Fortunately, Rumplestilstskin always had a plan B. And usually a C and D also. He might not be able to be there himself, but he could make sure that romance was definitely off the table.

/

Anna didn't know why she was so nervous. She had slept with a guy before. Admittedly, it was so long ago that at times it felt that the memory wasn't real, but she did know the basic mechanics of things. She was a modern woman. And she was dating a nice guy. They had just had dinner and a bottle of wine, which she had drank all but a glass of because he was driving, and now they were going back to his place to watch a movie.

And have sex.

The sex thing was only implied. But it was a blinking neon sign of an implication. When he'd picked her up for the evening she brought an overnight bag with her. It wasn't like she was going to change outfits in the middle of dinner. But Archie had been a perfect gentleman and ignored it completely. He didn't even tease her about it, which actually might have been less stressful because some teasing would at least address the knockoff Louis Vuitton elephant in the back of his car.

Nope. She wasn't going to do this. She wasn't going to hold his kindness against him. The man of her fantasies might be a rogue who challenged her, but this was real life. And in real life nice girls like Anna ended up with nice boys like Archie. They didn't have adventures or grand romances, but small contentments. That was all she should look for in her life.

Archie lived in a small bungalow style home in a quiet neighborhood near a lake. It was a simple house, but what it lacked in size or sophistication was made up by the location on a large lake. You could hear the crickets chirping, and the simple beauty of nature helped to put Anna in a more romantic mindset.

"Anna," Archie said, opening the trunk of his car, "Do you want…"

She cut him off with a kiss. It was sort of a mashing of lips, all awkward because he'd not been expecting it, but there was something sweet about it anyway.

"I was going to say, do you want me to help you with your bag? But, I guess that's a yes." Archie fumbled at the door, trying to balance the bag in one hand as his other hand was trembling as he tried to slide the key into place. After three failed attempts he finally got it to work.

"I hope that's not an omen of things to come," she joked. Archie's face turned as red as his hair. The house was dark except the glow from the television in the living room.

"That's odd," he said, walking towards it. "I always turn everything off. You know, leaving a light on in a room wastes enough electricity in a year to heat a small town?"

Anna nodded absently. The fact that the television was on wasn't nearly as interesting as what was on the television. It was a video of muscular men all sunbathing in tiny speedos as the Donna Summer song Hot Stuff, played loudly in the background.

"I…that… I don't know what channel this is."

Anna walked to the television and looked. It wasn't a channel, it was a DVD. She popped it out of the player and read the cover. "Butt Boyz 3- Attack of Dat Ass?"

Archie held his hands out. "I swear Anna. That isn't mine"

Anna set the disc down and walked towards him. "It isn't important. I mean, lots of people fantasize about things that they wouldn't want in real life."

She started to unbutton his shirt, but he pulled back. "Anna? You believe me, don't you? I don't watch gay porn. I mean, I don't watch any pornography. It's exploitative and demeaning to women."

"Okay. I believe you."

"No, you don't. I can tell."

Anna sighed. "I believe you Archie. But more importantly, I don't think it matters. What you do in your free time is your own. I mean, I'm sure you don't want to know about the things I fantasize about."

He frowned. "What type of things?"

This evening was already not going well, and it was going to get much worse if she answered that question. "Which way is your bathroom?"

Once inside she stared at her reflection in the mirror. "Okay French. So, your boyfriend likes looking at hot dudes. That's fine. You like looking at hot guys too. It's something you have in common."

She felt a headache coming on and opened up the medicine cabinet. There was a bottle of aspirin, right next to a box of condoms "size Xtra Small", and above a pair of heart shaped sunglasses and strawberry flavored lip gloss. "Okay, so, that's all weird. But you were just complaining about him being too dull. Well, this makes him more interesting. They said Napoleon had a small penis, and look at all he accomplished."

She closed the cabinet and walked into the hall, seeing his bedroom at the end of it. Anna's curiosity got the best of her, and considering what she'd seen so far, she wondered what would be hiding in there.

Along the far wall were pictures, dozens of them, all of her. In most she was out in public, sometimes with Henry or her father, sometimes alone. But a few were ones where she was in her pajamas and so they had to have been taken by someone spying on her. Anna couldn't decide if the idea of Archie watching her from afar was romantic or a sign that he was going to kill her and wear her as a suit. But the line between romantic comedy and horror movie was always pretty thin.

"Anna, there was a snake in the kitchen sink…I think someone broke in and…" Archie fell silent as he looked at his room. "That wasn't there before."

"You said there was a snake?"

"A rat sake. Nothing too scary. I opened the window and it slithered away. But, I am starting to think that someone planned this."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Starting to think? Archie, I think that we've moved passed that point. Do you think it was Emma?"

He frowned. "Why would she do this?"

"Well, she did break into your office and steal a patient file. And maybe she was following me and Henry?"

"It wasn't Emma. She didn't really take that file. Regina had me give it to her."

Anna froze. "What?"

"Well, Regina said that I had to do it or else…you know, she's very powerful in this town. You know that better than anyone. But Emma and I made peace over that. She wouldn't do this."

Anna felt sick. Regina had set up Emma. And Archie had just gone along with it. "Why? Why would you frame Henry's mother for something like that? Do you think that Henry would be better without her?" Anna could accept him framing Emma for something noble. She could even manage to deal with him doing it out of anger or spite. What she couldn't take was the answer he gave her.

"I was afraid, Anna. I was just afraid."


	9. Rum and True Religon

"_There's naught, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion." — Lord Byron_

It was difficult to decide what part of the evening was worse: having to negotiate a business deal with Regina while pretending he was unaware that she was the magnificent bitch who took Belle away from him, having Henry winkling at him so much that the child appeared to have developed some type of facial tick, or wondering what was happening between the love of his life and that damned cricket.

After he'd left Archie's house he had felt certain that he'd sabotaged any possibility of romance. If the gay pornography, questionable items in the medicine cabinet, and stalker photos didn't do the job then maybe the snake would. Snakes ate crickets? Or maybe that was mice? But as the evening progressed Gold began to have his doubts. If Anna had had Belle's big heart then she wouldn't care about any of those things. She'd fallen in love with The Dark One, with crimes much more serious than minor stalking and homoerotic leanings.

It looked like it would be another long and lonely night of drinking so he took his time on the way home driving past Archie's house, and then to the liquor store, and then past Archie's again. The good doctor's driveway was empty and his home was dark so there was hope that nothing had happened. Or maybe things had already happened and they'd needed to go out to get something to eat after hours of lovemaking left them drained.

He didn't notice the figure on his front porch at first. The moonlight created shadows in front of his door which is where the figure sat, swaying softly on a porch swing he had never used. But as he walked closer he could make out the petite figure bundled in a heavy white jacket with her hands buried in the pockets. He walked a little faster, his knee be damned, until he was standing next to her. Annabelle was still just swinging back and forth, staring at her feet.

"If that bstard hurt you I'll kill him."

Her head popped up, confusion in those big blue eyes. "What?"

"No, I'll kill him anyway, for leaving you all alone in the cold. Come on inside, you must be freezing."

He opened the front door, balancing the box of bottles on his hip, and waited for her to enter. Anna froze at the doorstep, wondering if this had been a mistake. But she didn't really have anywhere else to go. And the way that he threatened Archie made her hope that maybe Mr. Gold was a friendly ear. Although she would have to correct his misconception.

"Don't be mad at Archie. He didn't want to bring me here. I made him. And he offered to let me stay in his car with him but," she paused, "honestly, I just couldn't be near him."

"Did he…" Gold's face turned pale, and Anna only shook her head.

"Archie wouldn't do something like that."

Gold shrugged. "Not all monsters look the part, dearie. If he did hurt you, or pressure you in any way, you can tell me."

"Nothing happened. I mean, things were going to happen but…" Anna started removing her coat, "Do you mind?"

Gold eventually managed to help her out of the article and gave a enthusiastic once over of the long sleeved purple sheath dress underneath. It was a lovely piece of clothing, but didn't suit her at all. In fact, he was fairly certain he'd seen it on the Mayor. He could just picture Regina helping her little nanny get dressed for the big date, all the while knowing that if the girl had her memories back she'd be uninterested in the man.

"Can I get you something to drink? Coffee or tea?"

"Tea, I guess. Peppermint if you have it."

Gold smiled, of course he did, it had been her favorite. "With honey and lemon?"

"That would be perfect."

Gold took his time preparing the tea, using the moment as an excuse to get himself under control. Belle was here. In his house. And not to fetch some ball or as payment for a bargain. She was here, and now he would serve her their drink out of the tea service that she had used in the old world with a chipped cup.

Belongings were powerful. Even before his memories returned he had clung to certain belongings from the old world. Bae's ball. Belle's chipped cup. He believed that the right item could even have the power to break through the curse and start to restore true memories although he hadn't had a chance to test the theory yet. This was as good a time as any.

"Your house is… interesting," Anna said when he returned. "It isn't very like you."

"I didn't realize you were such an expert on me."

"I'm just saying, I don't think that anyone would expect you to live in a pink house with so many dollies. But, it is lovely. It has a homey feel to it."

Gold handed Belle her cup, watching intently as she waited for the contents to cool. "Yet, you say it isn't very lke me. Would you expect me to live in some dark castle with a dungeon?"

"I was thinking more of a modern minimalist type design. But I guess haunted castle would work too."

Anna began to raise the cup to her lips. She took a small sip and then yelped, dropping it to the ground. "That hurt," she said, moving her hand to her lips. She bent over and retrieved the cup. "It's chipped,"

"Don't worry," he said, hoping that this meant it was working, "It's just a cup."

"I don't care about your cup, what about my lip." Anna looked over at the box of booze Mr. Gold had carried in with him. "Look, I know this isn't ladylike, but do you mind if we skip the tea and move on to the harder stuff."

He carried the box to the bar, opening the cabinet and showing her the treasures within. "Pick your poison."

"Rum."

He perked up. "Yes?"

"Rum and coke."

He pushed past the bottle of Brugal and pulled out an aged Abuelo Centuria. "I think that you'll find that you don't need to mix this with anything." She took a small sip and smiled. "That is very, very good. I'll have to get some for myself."

"I doubt you'll be able to. They only made 400 bottles of it."

"Do I even want to know what it costs?"

"For you, only a story. Tell me why you're here Miss French."

Anna did just that, telling him everything, including the things he wished she had left out like kissing Archie. The fact he kept her glass filled probably made her more apt to tell him those things, along with the weird tangents she would start going down mentioning books she'd read, but eventually she got to the heart of the thing. Regina had used Archie to frame Emma.

"I won't date a coward," Anna said, taking another gulp of her drink. "I mean, I didn't love Archie, but even if I did I don't think I could overlook someone who is too afraid to fight back. This time it was Emma he screwed over, but what if it was me? How can I trust that if Regina somehow comes between us that he'll choose me over his fears?"

Rumplestiltskin couldn't look at her, knowing that while her conscious mind was angry with Archie, these fears were actually the result of his own actions in the other world. Would she look on his current actions as those of a coward as he denied his own desires in order to convince Regina that he was still just Mr. Gold? He was only doing it to protect her, and to be able to assist in the cursebreak without arousing Regina's suspicion. He had acted out of fear for himself many times, but this time the fear was only for others. Did that make him a coward or hero?

"So, you see my problem," Anna's words were starting to slur, from drunkenness of exhaustion it was hard to say.

"Dump the guy and find a new one. It isn't that difficult, dearest."

Dearest. That was new. She liked it though. Dearest. "Oh, Archie and I are done. Over. Breakup town: population us. What am I going to do about Regina? She set up Emma to be framed. Do you know how much that hurt Henry? I just don't see how I can keep working for her."

"Then dump the boss and find a new one."

Sure, that was easy for him to say. He had so much money that he was serving her liquor that probably would have paid for a month of groceries. She had her savings, but that would be eaten up soon enough if she couldn't find another job. And it wasn't like Storybrooke was a bustling job market. The only employers were factory jobs, which Anna was well overqualified for, or jobs with the government, which would not be an option once she crossed Regina. Her work experience was as a personal assistant and nanny. And nobody in town had a need for any of those positions, at least nobody who could afford it.

"Besides, what about Henry? I don't think I could just leave him. He's like a child to me."

Mr. Gold reached out and took her hand. "That's the real problem isn't it? The money can be dealt with in some way, but the truth is that you don't want to lose him."

"It's silly. I know. Especially since Henry isn't lacking in maternal figures. But, I've watched him grow up. I've been there for the nightmares and the skinned knees. Will Regina let him climb into bed with her when he can't get back to sleep? Would Emma even have the opportunity to have him with her overnight?"

"I had a son." He hadn't intended on telling her about Bae, not until she was Belle again and he would finish the story he owed her, but Belle had always managed to slip past his intentions. "I lost him."

"He died?"

"No." He was more forceful than he needed with the word but he couldn't allow himself to even consider the possibility that Bae was dead. Not when he had done so much to try and be with him. "I lost custody of him. His mother moved him far away and I'd never seen him since. So, I know what it is like to lose a child. It is the most painful experience in the world. But if you stay with Regina, even knowing what she really is, don't you think you'll end up losing Henry anyway? Maybe not his physical presence, but certainly his love and respect."

Hi hand was still covering hers, and she turned her wrist so she could intertwine her fingers with his. He really was quite handsome. The well-tailored suits and confidence helped, but this was the first time she really noticed his eyes. They were brown and reminded Anna of amber in both color and feeling. They were rich and warm and seemed to hold the trapped secrets of thousands of years. Right now they were focused on her as if she was the only thing in the universe.

"Anna," he asked, "Why did you come here?"

"Because where else could I go? Things are over with Archie. I can't go home to Regina's until I figure out what to do. My father would just worry about me, which would make me worry about him. And the person who I generally tell all my secrets to is a little boy who has enough problems of his own." She was blushing. "I was thinking of where I could go and the only thing that came to mind was you."

In this world Mr. Gold had been nothing but cruel in his interactions with Annabelle French. Even when he regained his memories he had appeared to treat her with disdain or disinterest. And yet, here she was, coming to him when she had nowhere else to go. It shouldn't be this way. He'd written the damned curse and it was supposed to obliterate the memories of all but the caster. Anna French should be terrified of him.

But he had added the true love loophole. It had been intended to simply allow Emma to break the curse, but what if it did more? What if it also allowed those who had experienced true love to remain bonded to their partners in this new world? It could mean he would be able to win her back, even before the savior did her job.

Slowly Gold leaned across the bar, waiting for some sign from Anna that he should kiss her, or that his attention was unwelcome. But she didn't move and so he stopped. "I'm glad you came here, Anna."

"Just glad? Well, let's see if we can make that something better." Anna took her free hand and grabbed his tie, pulling him to her lips. She tasted of the rum, smooth and rich, and he couldn't get enough. The kiss turned into a dance and then a duel, with each of them trying to leave the other breathless.

They ended up on the couch; bodies twined together like knotted cords of rope, until Anna broke away and tried to turn in his arms.

"Unzip me."

With trembling hands he began to pull the zipper down her back, exposing her skin. That's when he saw it, the mark of the clerics of her land. It would have been mistaken for a birthmark here, but he recognized the symbol of Sicha Mar, the goddess of water and purity, which had been branded onto her. So, Regina hadn't lied about everything. She had suffered at the hands of her father and those trying to make her pure. It was laughable. Belle was the purist person in the world with the truest heart. The holy books spoke of unconditional love, but it was Belle who had put it into practice and loved someone unworthy of it. And her reward was to be branded and tortured.

It would happen again. It people thought Anna French was in bed with the dastardly Mr. Gold she would be a pariah. Anna thought she didn't have friends, and maybe she lacked people to go to in a crisis, but at least she had respect. He wouldn't take that away from her in this world.

"I have a guest room upstairs," he said, untangling himself from her and gathering his cane. "Feel free to stay tonight. I have to go into the shop early tomorrow, but you can sleep in. There's a small home that I was about to put up for rent that you are free to use. Come by tomorrow and we'll sign the papers."

Anna was shocked. "Are you upset with me?"

"No."

"Then, don't you want to…" she let her eyes look at his crotch. "I know you want me? Why are you doing this?"

"You're drunk, and not yourself, and I will not take advantage of that. The first time we make love I want you to understand everything that is happening. I want you to be…you." She couldn't understand. Not really. He wanted Anna, yes, but he wanted her as Belle. They may have shared a body and a face, but it wasn't the same.

That night they both lay in separate beds unable to sleep. Gold was especially tortured by how wrong he had been about the curse. He had truly thought that the chipped cup would have sparked her memory. Or maybe the kisses. But neither had been effective. Still, she had come to him, and that was a sign that somewhere underneath it all was the woman he loved.

What he didn't realize at the time was that his theory had been correct. Objects did have power, but the object was unique to the person. Rumplestiltskin had associated the chipped cup with the woman he loved who had been lost to him forever, but Belle had only seen it as an example of her early nervousness. She didn't associate him with teacups, but with the beautiful spinning wheel he was always at. If she could just see that wheel again she would remember everything.

It was too bad that wheel was located in Mr. Gold's bedroom, where Anna would never get to see.


	10. Two Steps Back

Anna woke up in a strange bed.

That wasn't the problem. She's planned on that happening. What was troublesome was that the strange bed she woke up in was empty. Archie wasn't there. In fact, she was slowly coming to the realization that it wasn't Archie's house, because the window was looking down from the second floor and his house didn't have a second floor.

She remembered everything. The fight with Archie, coming to Gold's house, cutting herself on that stupid cup, and then having the best rum she'd ever tasted. And then…

Well, that's where everything got fuzzy. She remembered drinking and talking, she remembered a kiss, and then she was alone in a twin bed wearing her pajamas. They hadn't had sex, she was sure of that, but she wasn't sure which of them had applied the brakes. Because from what Anna could recall, she doubted it was her.

There was a full glass of water on the nightstand along with two Advil and a blueberry muffin. There was also a note, written in slanting script, telling her that he was at the shop if she needed to talk.

After consuming the medicine, muffin and water she was starting to feel much better. She changed into the jeans and black t-shirt from her bag, and took her toothbrush into the bathroom. She'd take a shower when she got back home. At least the place that was her home at the moment.

One of the parts of last night she remembered distinctly was what Gold had told her about losing Henry. He had been right. If she stayed as Henry's Nanny she would be tacitly supporting Regina's war against Emma. She might be able to stay near Henry physically, but she'd lose his respect eventually.

The right choice was obvious, but that didn't mean she was ready to make it. There were other issues: Money, place to live, and getting on the wrong side of the most powerful woman in town. Eventually she would have to find a way to deal with these things, but this morning she just wanted to crawl back into bed.

Gold had mentioned a son last night, and in the morning light Anna looked for some sign of the child and his mother. A picture on the wall, or maybe a photo album stashed under an end table. Anna was naturally curious, and being left alone in the home of a man as mysterious as Gold was too tempting to ignore. Back in the guest room she looked at the tchotchkes around the room and then opened the closet slowly. Please don't have the bodies of your dead wives, Anna told herself,before gasping at what she found. Children's toys, and not the disposable plastic ones that kids would break in a afternoon, but old style handmade toys like tops and soldiers and a wooden sword. By this point his son would be much too old to play with these things, and yet Gold kept them all. Maybe just hoping to one day give the child the things he had once had, or maybe to just have some memento of the boy.

Or maybe, a small voice in her heart said, he wants to pass them along to a child he hasn't yet had.

OK. Let's stop that thinking right away. She moved on to the other side of the closet, which had only one item inside. It was a dress, the loveliest dress Anna has ever seen, gold in color with a corseted bodice and sleeves that would sit off the shoulders. There was a huge skirt, and it looked like something from a fairy tale. Maybe it had belonged to the estranged wife?A wedding dress or something?

These glimpses should have satisfied Anna's curiosity, but that wasn't how it worked. Finding these new pieces of the puzzle only made her more interested in completing the picture. Gathering her courage, Anna walked down the hall to Gold's bedroom. Slowly she turned the knob and…

BOOM.

The explosion rocked the house and send Anna to her knees. But nothing seemed to be damaged. And while the logical part of her brain knew that it was a coincidence, and not some sign of doom from above, her curiosity had dissipated.

/

She'd kissed him.

Not the soft and sweet tentative kiss that had nearly broken his curse. No, Annabelle French had ravaged his mouth with her own,passionately. He didn't know where she had learned that, he would tell himself curse memories were the cause to protect his own sanity, but the fact was she had kissed him. And was well on her way to doing more than just kissing before he stopped things.

It was perfect and it was terrible. He wanted nothing more than to make love to her for hours and to leave her throat horse from crying out his name before falling asleep inside of her. But it felt wrong to want her that way since she wasn't Belle. Not really. She was Anna, and she annoyed him and challenged him but she didn't stir his soul the way that Belle had.

He was falling in love with Anna, no doubt, but he was still in love with Belle. He was torn between two lovers, almost just as terribly as poor Charming, except with the extra complication that his two lovers shared one body.

And what exactly would Belle say when her memories returned? Would she laugh at the predicament, or be furious at him for even trying to reconnect after he'd thrown her aside in their former life?

The wise thing was to stay away, but he was never going to be able to do that, so he would have to resign himself to being an idiot.

At least one of his problems was taken care of with the unexpected assistance of the cricket. Belle would soon quit her job with Regina, and without arousing any suspicion that he was now awake. Taking Belle out of that house wouldn't guarantee her safety, but it would help. He couldn't forget that just a few weeks ago Regina had sent Anna to the hospital and what could have been her death.

Getting her out of the job was a good start. After that he could offer her a job as his assistant. Yes, that could work. She'd been Regina's personal assistant at one time, and he could say that he needed someone to help get his law practice back into shape. She could live in the guest bedroom, after all she'd looked like she belonged there when he'd checked on her this morning. Soon Anna would be under his protection and without tipping his hand to Regina about the now intact memories.

Things were coming together nicely.

The bell above the door rang and Anna walked in looking oddly disheveled. Her hair was still wet and the long blue and white dress she wore was askew on her hips. "Feeling a bit hungover this morning, Miss French?"

"Have you seen Henry?"

Rumplestiltskin walked as quickly as he could to her side. "Anna, what's wrong?"

"He's missing. He went down to the mines this morning to see the aftermath of the mine explosion, but then he was supposed to meet with Archie and that was hours ago."

"It's alright," he said, running his free hand up and down Anna's arm. "Now, where did Dr. Hopper say the boy went after their session."

"That's the thing, Archie is missing too." Anna was distraught, and while Rumplestitskin knew it was about the boy, the dark part of him wondered if maybe these hysterics were also for the man. Maybe she cared more about Dr. Hopper than she had let on the previous evening.

Anna's cell phone rang, a mechanical version of Ode to Joy, and she fumbled to answer. "Did you find him?"

She reached for him, the color draining from her face as she leaned on him for support. "Both of them? Oh, god. No, I'm in...I'm at Granny's...I'll be there as fast as I can."Anna went to turn away, but he held her close to him.

"You look like you're going to faint," he said, trying to justify keeping his arm around her waist.

"Henry and Archie are in the mine. I don't know how it happened, but they went down there and there was a cave-in and they were trapped. And...what if they can't get out? What if..."

"Shhhhhh," he whispered, allowing her to cry against his chest. He pressed his lips against her hairline and told her that it would be okay, and other hopeful platitudes that he couldn't possibly call the truth.

"I need to get down there. I need to be there in case... my car was totaled in the accident. I can go get Dad's van."

"You're in no condition to drive. Let me take you." Anna smiled for a moment, but then realized the million of reasons that would be a mistake. Recognizing the reason for her concern, Gold came up with a cover story. "If anyone asks, I'm just the town ambulance chaser looking to see if there is an opportunity to sue someone in this whole event. We ran into each others at the diner and I offered to give you a ride."

"Don't you think that sounds uncharacteristically kind of you?"

He gave her a predatory smile, his teeth like fangs. "Tell them I made a pass at you, unless you think it would be more believable for you to make one on me."

/

The wait for the rescue was long, but Anna didn't want to leave. Regina had already screamed at her, saying that this was all Anna's fault for not being around this morning. The fact that Regina had given her the time off in the first place didn't matter. And even though Rumplestiltskin had hoped that Anna would have thrown that fact back in her employers face, along with her resignation, Anna only nodded and allowed herself to be a sacrificial lamb for Regina's misplaced anger and fear about Henry.

He almost left then. Seeing Regina raise her voice to Anna, to Belle, after everything else that the Queen had done to her in this and the last world was almost more than he could take. Even if killing Regina would make him feel better it wouldn't break the curse, at least not of the death came from his own hand. He was limited in his direct power because of his position as the curse writer, but that didn't mean that he couldn't manipulate the actions of others.

Although he couldn't offer her comfort, not without arousing suspicion, he did watch her, and offered a bit of useless magic words hoping that some of the random magic of this world might find them to create a miracle. He wanted the boy to live. Not just because he seemed key to breaking the curse, or because Anna adored him, but Rumplestitskin was also growing fond of the lad. He was too brave for his own good, and didn't have an ounce of subtlety to him, but he was similar to Baelfire in those ways.

After hours of waiting and false starts it finally looked like something was going to happen. Regina and Emma Swan were arguing, but Emma won and was being lowered into the mine while the Mayor looked on helplessly. And still, farther away and more helpless, was Anna.

When the crash came from the mine she looked like she might fall apart, but a moment later came the savior with Henry in her arms and Archie dangling from her hip. Regina wrapped the boy in her embrace and Anna ran to Hopper. Yes, of course. Last night she'd said that her distain for the man was because he was a coward. Following Henry into danger and risking his life to try and protect him were signs that he was no coward.

Around the scene people were starting to celebrate, and why not. It was a good day after all. Nobody offered a drink to Gold, but he wasn't planning on sticking around much longer. Nobody needed him now.

"You're leaving?" Anna said, running up towards his car.

"I don't see any reason to stay. I expect that Archie will be taking you back home?"

Her forehead creased as she shook her head. "No. Archie...I'm not going back to him. I didn't really like him in the first place. This doesn't change anything. Well, it doesn't change anything with him."

The dealmaker in him immediately noticed her choice of words. "If it doesn't change your feelings for the good doctor, then what feelings have changed?"

Anna looked down at her feet, but only for a moment. His brave Belle wouldn't ever shy away from anything, not even the truth. "I can't leave Henry. I know that Regina is awful, and that he already has more mothers than he knows what to do with, but when I thought that I was never going to see him again. I just can't. I know that one day he'll probably hate me for staying with Regina after what she's done, but I'd rather that he hate me up close where I can keep him safe. Do you understand?"

Oh yes, he understood, better than she could possibly know.

The next day he went to Emma Swan to call in his favor. She'd seemed confused at first that his request was so simple. That it was something that would actually benefit her. But Gold was a strange man, and if this was what he wanted then it was fine with her.

Emma and Anna were in Granny's diner looking through one of the photo albums that the nanny had brought with her. Anna was telling a story about Henry's first steps, and how the boy went straight from crawling to running, when the familiar thump of Mr. Gold's cane was heard on the linoleum. Anna looked up, smiling, until she saw he wasn't alone.

"Well, if it isn't Deputy Swan and Miss French," Regina said, her voice higher than normal. "Isn't this just a cozy picture?"

"It's no big deal," Emma said.

"Maybe not to you, Deputy, but I take loyalty very seriously. And if I can't trust you, Miss French, then I'm afraid you can no longer work for me. Effective immediately. Come collect your things and get out of my house."

Anna wasn't able to hold back her tears. Rumplestiltskin offered her his handkerchief. "I'll drive you over. You shouldn't be alone with her."

"Like hell," Emma said. "Anna, Gold set this up. It was his idea that I ask you to come here and bring these pictures. And then he shows up with her...what is your game?"

"I'm sure Anna understands. Sometimes you have to do something you don't like to keep someone you care about safe, even if they might hate you for it later. Right?"

Her only response was a slap to his face and the remainder of her soda poured over his head. Emma led her out of the diner as the rest of the patrons applauded the sight of the most hated man in town red faced, soaked, and looking unexpectedly heartbroken.


	11. A Fine Bromance

"Rumplestiltskin!"

From the backroom he heard the little prince calling out his real name. Hopefully by this time tomorrow they would have added another member to Operation Cobra. Someone who could keep the boy out of his hair, although it was more likely that he'd just have to put up with two children instead of one.

"Rumplestiltskin! Are you here?"

He rolled his eyes. "It is my shop," he muttered, gathering his cane and walking to the store front. Henry had his hands on his hips, a scowl on his mouth, and a pose that he recognized immediately as the one Belle took when he would leave his cauldrons on the fire too long and the contests would spill to the ground.

Score a point for nurture over nature.

"Can I help you, Henry? Or did you just think it was a good morning to let everyone in town know who I really am?"

"You made Anna go away." Henry found a small stool and pulled it next to Gold. He climbed to the top of it so that he was at eye level with the former imp. "I want you to make my Mom take her back. I miss her!"

"You miss her? After two days? Well, come back to me when it's been decades, and when you spent most of that time thinking that she was dead, and then maybe I'll feel sorry for you." Henry didn't back down, and Rumplestitskin wasn't sure which was more pathetic: that he was having a fight with a ten year old boy or that he might be losing.

"Henry," he said, his voice low, "this isn't about what we want. Anna wasn't going to be safe in the same house as your mother. Regina already tried to kill her once. It's better if she's somewhere else."

"With you?" Well, the boy was perceptive, that was true enough. Although the truth was more complex than he felt like getting into.

"I would prefer if she were here, yes, but she isn't. And I think that I've effectively burned that bridge for the moment. But I can accept her hating me if it means that she's safe."

Henry seemed satisfied with this and walked off the stool. "So, what's the next step?"

The bell over the door rang as Prince Charming, David Nolan, came in. Henry's eyes grew large and he would have tumbled off the stool if Gold hadn't studied it at the right moment.

"Mr. Nolan," he said, "I believe you've met Henry."

The boy was so excited he couldn't even speak. His face was just a wide grin. And, as much as the pawnbroker hated to admit it, the sentiment was contagious. If anyone could appreciate the joy of a family reunion it was Rumplestiltskin. But there was work to be done so he interrupted the moment.

"I have the paperwork here for you, Mr. Nolan. Clearly you aren't legally dead anymore, even if you were a few years ago." The courts had accepted the forged paperwork stating that David Nolan had been declared dead. It severed the Nolan marriage and allowed Kathryn and David to both move on while bypassing any guilt over doing so. "I also have some sentimental items that Kathryn thought you'd like to have."

He handed over the box filled with treasures that Charming would appreciate. His cloak, a small whittled sheep that had been made by his late father's hand, the mobile that had hung in the unused nursery of his child. Rumplestiltskin watched closely as the man looked at the items clearly searching for something that would spark his memory. David Nolan had amnesia in this world, and maybe that would allow this to succeed while his own attempt to trigger Belle's memory had failed. IT was easier to write in a blank space than to overcome something that is there.

"Henry," Rumplestiltskin said, trying one last thing, "Did you decide on what gift you wanted to get for Emma?"

"Huh?" the boy said, but he was interrupted buy the shard groan that came from his grandfather.

"Emma," he said, as if in a trance. "Emma. What happened to Emma? Where is she?" He grabbed Gold by the lapels of his designer jacket. "Your face may be different, but I know who you are. What did you do, you imp? Where is my daughter?"

Henry whooped with joy and threw his arms around Charming's hips. "It worked. It really worked. This is awesome."

"Your highness," Gold said, allowing his voice to take on the high pitch of his former incarnation, "I'd like to introduce you to your grandson. And if you wouldn't mind letting me down, it would be much easier to tell you the story if I could actually breathe."

It took almost an hour to explain everything. It would have been much faster but Henry had insisted on asking questions every few minutes and some of them had been difficult to answer without crossing the line from obfuscation to deception. Especially when the boy wondered how Regina had created the curse. Yes, that required quite a bit of tap dancing.

Once the tale was told Charming's first thought was, obviously and annoyingly, on Snow White. "I have to find her. We have to let her know what is going on."

"She already knows," Henry said sadly. "But she doesn't believe. Not yet."

Rumplestiltskin nodded. "And we can't force it. We can only work on getting Emma to believe and break the curse."

"Do you expect me to just walk by my wife everyday and pretend I don't know her?"

Henry's eyes darted to the front window and he ran outside. Rumplestiltskin and Charming both watched as the child ran up to a lovely brunette who knelt down for a hug.

"Is that Emma?"

"No," Rumplestiltskin said, his mouth dry. "That's Henry's former nanny. Annabelle French."

Charming looked from the trickster to the girl outside. "She's more than that, isn't she? Your brief flicker of light..."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only to someone who has worn that look themselves. I thought you said she died."

"I thought she had." It caused him physical pain to look away from Belle, laughing with Henry, but he did so. "Believe me, your Highness, nobody wants this curse broken more than I do. You can at least court your love. Mine currently wishes I was dead. But we just need to bide our time and work on things from behind the scenes. I know that isn't your style."

"But the Queen has all the power here," he agreed. "But that doesn't mean that we're helpless. You know, you once sent me after my true love. Maybe I should return the favor."

Rumpelstiltskin scoffed slightly. "I'm serious. Even with no memories Snow and I were drawn to each other. Maybe the same can happen for you and her."

Maybe it was temporary insanity. Or a shared delusion created by being too close to the hopeful Prince. Or maybe he just couldn't stay away from her, but Rumplestiltskin walked into the street towards Anna. The nanny saw him coming and grimaced, and then sent Henry away.

"Anna," he said, "I want to explain..."

"Really? You want to explain how you went from kissing me one night to ruining my life a few days later? Because that would be something to hear. In fact, if you could explain that I might actually believe you have those magical powers that Henry thinks you have."

He pondered it for a moment before she just shook her head, not even trying to hide her disgust, and walked down the street. He followed, slower than her but able to keep up because of his slight advantage in height. "Anna. At least let me make it up to you. I could use someone to work for me..."

She spun on her heel, almost causing him to crash into her. "Really? And what exactly would I be for you, huh? Secretary? Assistant? Paid Companion? Whore? Is that what you want?"

He didn't say anything which was better than saying the truth that he would love any of those, all of those, anything that would allow him to offer her something. Protection or care or just money. He wanted to take care of her in the most primal way, but he could sublimate those needs by taking care of her less carnal needs.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Gold?" she screamed. They were outside of Granny's Diner, and while the townspeople's fear of him kept them inside the building they did allow themselves to stare outside the window at the scene. Only the wolf girl, always more brave than smart, ventured out carrying a milkshake that she handed to Anna.

"Ruby...what on Earth?"

"You looked like you could use it," she said, taking a step back.

"I'm not going to pour anything on his head. I'd have to get angry to do something like that, and anger would mean I care. And I am way over caring about anything you do, Mister Gold."

She turned on her scuffed heel and, milkshake still in hand, and started marching to Game of Thorns."Miss French. Anna. Be reasonable. Your father's business was barely covering expenses before, he doesn't have the ability to support you too. And I happen to know that his apartment lease doesn't allow any extra occupants."

Anna threw the milkshake on Gold's chest, her face red. "Are you actually threatening to evict my father because you got me thrown out of my house and fired from my job?"

Well, yes, that was exactly what he was doing. But because he couldn't tell her that he stood, dumbly, his suit ruined.

"You know, there was the brief moment when I thought that maybe there was something more to you. When you told me about your child and when we...well, I thought that maybe you were a good person underneath it all. But really, you're just a monster."

"Yes, well, that's what I've always said," he muttered as she walked away.

"That'll be six dollars for the milkshake," Ruby said, presenting him a bill. He tore it in half and went back to the shop.

Henry and Charming were both chuckling, although the boy at least had the manners to look guilty over it. "She seems like a lovely girl," Charming said with a grin.

"Sod off shepherd," Gold growled. "Besides, I know how you and the wife first met. My suit might be ruined, but at least she my girl never beat me up."

/

It was nice to have someone else remember, if only because it meant that his visits from Henry would no longer be necessary. The boy could coordinate Operation Cobra with his grandfather while Rumplestitskin took his place in the shadows, directing everything from offstage. Things were all coming together, and it wouldn't be long before Emma would have to accept the truth. Then she could break the curse, he could restore magic, and then use a spell to track down Baelfire. Hundreds of years of planning was finally coming to the end. He should be crowing over his success.

And yet, instead of plotting his next steps, or taunting Regina, or even celebrating with a fine brandy and cigar, the most feared creature of darkness was trying to figure out how to secretly order flowers.

He'd called over to the bank, and called in some favors, to get a look at the French family finances. What there were of them. Anna had been helping to support the business for years, either by direct payments to her father or through the contracts Storybrooke sent his way. But with those sources of funding gone, the business would run out of capital in three months.

That did present an opportunity. After all, in another world Annabelle French had once traded herself to him in order to protect her father. Maybe she would agree to do so again. And that presented all types of thoughts which would keep him company in the shower over the next few weeks. But, in the end, he knew that he wouldn't put her into that position. Anna had called him a monster, something Belle had always denied, and he found himself wanting to prove her wrong.

So, he ordered the flowers.

Not directly of course, because she wouldn't take his kindness. He was on the board of the hospital and so he arranged it through them. They were fine with the idea of a new program where fresh flowers were delivered each day to the patients as long as he was paying the bill.

While he atoning for his bad acts, he placed a call to Mitchell Herman to ask if he could lead up the project, since Gold's name was not very popular. He also suggested that French should only be given the contract for the job if he would agree to hire Sean to help with the deliveries. It was a perfect situation. French would make more than enough money to afford the extra help, the boy would be able to spend more time with his newborn, and Anna wouldn't have to worry about finances.

He had only the best intentions. Which is why things ended up going to terribly wrong.

/

"And how long is the contract for?" Anna said, looking over the document with skepticism. Her father was a good man, but he was better with flowers than deals. Not that Anna had any schooling in the law or business, but Regina had put her in charge of enough projects to give her some understanding of these things.

"Six months, with the first three months paid in advance. And an option to increase the order after the contract is up."

"And how about the guy you have to hire?"

Moe waved away her concern. "He doesn't get a contract. If he doesn't work out I can let him go, but I'm sure the guy will be good. He had a girlfriend and a kid he's taking care of, and he seems pretty responsible."

He took the contract from her, giving her a pat on the head as he had since she was a little girl. "Don't worry, Annabelle, this is going to be good. And the best part is that this means that I can take care of you now."

"Dad, you don't have to worry about me."

"I'm your father. It's what I do! You've been working your butt off since you were 16 years old to help support me. Now you can relax."

Unfortunately, Anna hated relaxing.

She enjoyed reading and hiking and going to the movies. But she liked those things as a respite from a busy day. To actually have a time to herself made her skin itch. There were plenty of things she would love to be doing, like getting the town's library back in order, but she couldn't do that without the authorization of the Mayor, and that was not going to happen anytime soon.

By the end of the week she'd caught up on all the reading she'd wanted to do, double checked the books for the shop, and finalized a resume that would be perfect if there was ever a job in the town that didn't involve Mayor Mills or Mr. Gold.

Anna was bored, for the first time in years, and so she did something stupid. Epically and amazingly stupid. She walked into the Singlebrooke dating service.


End file.
